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On Sunday, Israel said it would test a shot that killed a Palestinian-American journalist to ascertain whether it was fired by one of its soldiers and that a US observer would be present for the procedure, which could yield results in hours. The Palestinians, who handed over the bullet to a US security system on Saturday, said they had been assured that Israel would not be involved in the ballistics.
Washington has not yet responded. The Fourth of July is a holiday weekend in the United States.
The death of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh during an Israeli raid in the occupied Territories on May 11 has overshadowed a visit by US President Joe Biden scheduled for this month.
The Palestinians start accusing the Israeli military of murdering her on purpose. Israel denies this, claiming that Abu Akleh was hit by stray army fire or by one of the Palestinian gunmen clashing with its forces.
“The (ballistic) test will not be conducted in the United States. The test will be conducted by Israel, with American participation throughout “Brigadier-General Ran Kochav, an Israeli military spokesman, said.
“It will become clear in the coming days or hours whether it was even us who killed her, accidentally, or if it was the Palestinian gunmen,” he told Army Radio. “If we kill her, we will accept responsibility and express regret.”
The Palestinian Authority’s general prosecutor, Akram al-Khatib, stated that the test would take place in the United States.
“We received assurances from the American team leader that the examination will be undertaken by them and that the Israeli side will not participate,” Al-Khatib told Voice of Palestine radio, adding that the bullet would be returned on Sunday.
“We haven’t anything new at this time,” said an embassy spokesperson.
On July 13-16, Biden is scheduled to meet with Palestinian and Israeli leaders separately. The Abu Akleh case will be a diplomacy and domestic litmus test for Yair Lapid, Israel’s new Prime Minister.
According to Israeli Deputy Interior Minister Yoav Segalovitz, Lapid was involved in “managing the advent and transfer of this bullet.”
“A ballistic test with several experts will take a few days to ensure that there is an unambiguous assessment,” Segalovitz told Army Radio.
